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This is the forum for discussion of all cricketing issues and news. Here you will find frank analysis and opinion on subjects ranging from selection policies, favourite cricketers and match post-mortems right through to dressing room and cricket board fiascos.

Boycs30 correct about Wikipedia because it's says "" which cricketer Murdered, when ""( including former WI captain Stollmeyer captain for 13 tests, who was murdered.Bob Woolmer last person in the list ) Wikipedia mentions sorry we not say about those cricketer who pass away during War )

Dutchie lifted us all from the doldrums at a very low point in Australian Cricket history when he destroyed the mighty Windies side of 84-85 on a SCG Turner then did the same to a very good Kiwi side 12 months later on the same track.You where a ray of light in the Darkness Dutchie, thank you.

He took 166 wickets in a season for warwickshire as Pacer.Over all,818 wickets (23.30)he took in NZ's Domestic cricket in 200 matches

He reaches 100 but never hits 100.

I think you'll find most his wickets were in county cricket. He is another one that got away from NZ in the pursuit of dollars. The fact we managed to keep Hadlee is basically a miracle and possibly his dad's influence.

"Your inclination to assume and contradict is typical of Narcissism which is nothing about being pretty like the Narcissus fable."

Regarded as one of New Zealand's greatest allrounders, Condon's batting style was largely dour but could switch gears and bat aggressively as well. With the ball, he was a genial medium pacer, who was more than handy with his outswingers.

Congdon, who had made his debut in 1965, played 61 Tests and 11 One-Day Internationals, scoring 3448 and 338 runs respectively. He also bagged 59 wickets in Tests and 7 in ODIs with his medium pacers, in an international career spanning 13 years.

"Bevan was at the center of the New Zealand team at a time it started gaining attention on the international cricket scene for the all the right reasons - in no small part due to his leadership and ability," David White, NZC chief executive, said.j

"He's left a real legacy in terms of putting New Zealand cricket on the map, and I know the wider cricketer family - not just in New Zealand but worldwide, will be mourning his loss."

He reserved his best against England, stroking 176 and 175 in consecutive innings at Trent Bridge and Lord's in the summer of 1973. The former, which also happened to be his highest Test score, which came in the second innings while New Zealand were chasing 479 for victory. His innings, which lasted 409 minutes but went in vain as New Zealand lost by 38 runs. During his years as captain from 1971-75, he stroked five centuries.

Congdon led his country to their first ever Test win against Australia in 1974. However, that remained his only victory as captain in 17 Tests.

In domestic cricket, he represented Canterbury, Central Districts, Otago and Wellington, registering 23 centuries and 204 wickets in first-class cricket. Following his playing days, he contributed to cricket as the selector of New Zealand in the 1990s.

He is survived by his wife Shirley, his daughters Ali and Sandy, and grandchildren Matthew, Joshua, Lily and Reeves.

When I first began following cricket, Bevan Congdon was NZ captain.NZ in those days was the weakest Test side of them all - Sri Lanka hadn't got Test status then.Congdon was easily one of the better batsmen in the side - he could stick around for a while.His bowling was certainly handy too.RIP.

raja wrote:When I first began following cricket, Bevan Congdon was NZ captain.NZ in those days was the weakest Test side of them all - Sri Lanka hadn't got Test status then.Congdon was easily one of the better batsmen in the side - he could stick around for a while.His bowling was certainly handy too.RIP.

Yeah - in the 1970s India and Pakistan got better, Congdon was captain from 1972 to 1975, but in the 1960's - NZ looks to be ahead of Pakistan, and not all that far behind India.

Congdon played in 7 test wins, one of which - the 1978 vs England at home victory is well celebrated here. Funnily enough, he is most celebrated by Sir Richard for his losing efforts in England in 1973 when NZ put up a losing fight at Nottingham based around a stellar Congdon innings.

Had Turner stayed, the NZ turnaround that commences in 1980 vs WI, could well have started a few more seasons earlier in the 1970's.

But what impresses me most about Congdon, is this knock, just for the era in which it was played and with so few boundaries, how he must have been hustling well before it became typical in ODI cricket;

raja wrote:Well, he was before my time but I'd get to read often of him in the 70s.He was the GOLD standard for fielding, before Jonty Rhodes came along.Even so, Bland is still considered to be right up there.

I feel his fielding was just SO good that it overshadowed his batting.A batting average of 49 is pretty impressive.

I picked him in my draft here - I reckoned if he could get 49 in an innings AND save 20-30 per innings, that amounts to 69-79 per innings.

Usual suspects Bland, Rhodes and Harper appear prominently. But the victor is given to Baron Constatine. Surprising mentions include a 17 year old Tendulkar and a Hayden sommersault catch. Okay seen the Tendulkar catch, it is a "speckie" but a good "speckie", but still not as good as McGrath on the boundary ('02 though). I think that the Hayden catch referred to is this one, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkavgPqyD8A , which just isn't that impressive by today's standards.

What a wonderful, wonderful piece that is, Paddles.Thanks for posting it.We come across so many articles about batting or bowling, it's nice to read one on fielding.

I've read about Constantine too. I'll take this writer's word for suggesting Constantine was the best - though obviously these things, being very difficult to measure, are subjective.

I remember picking Constantine in a draft - though his Test figures don't look particularly great, he was a very special cricketer who could change a match situation in 15 minutes, with the bat, ball or in the field.

I used to think of CK Nayudu, his contemporary and India's first Test captain, as India's version of Constantine.

Good to see all these names.Some from my generation too (like Graham Roope and Keith Boyce).

RIP, JT.JT and Jim Parks were often in competition for England for the wicketkeeper spot in the 1960s.While Parks was definitely the better batsman (heck, he started his career as a specialist batsman and became a keeper by accident), JT was the better keeper, I think.Not that he was a bad bat either.Got plenty of useful scores, including that 100 against the Windies.

Bill Playle was part of the New Zealand team that toured England in 1958

Former New Zealand batsman Bill Playle, who played eight Tests between 1958 and 1963, passed away in New South Wales, Australia at the age of 80. Playle was born 1 December 1938 in Manawatu, New Zealand. In a career that saw him play 85 First Class games and 8 Tests, Playle aggregated 2888 and 151 runs respectively.

Playle, a right handed batman, made his debut for New Zealand against England in June 1958. He had a lacklustre outing in his first series, making just 56 runs in the five Tests, but showed a good account of himself in the third, batting nearly four hours for 18 runs as New Zealand fought to avoid defeat at Leeds.

After finding himself out of the team for a few years, Playle was brought back into the national side for three more Tests against England in the 1962-63 season. He made his only fifty for New Zealand then, scoring 65 at Wellington.

Playle played as many as 85 First Class matches, making a bright start with Auckland while still a teenager before moving to Australia and playing for Western Australia, with whom he notched up his highest FC score of 122 in 1965-66.

RAJALately me and thirdman caught fake stats at cricbuzz.comAbove,BILL PLAYLE was in nz team to eng in 1958 but his innings of 18 not batted nearly 4 hours but yes nz scored 129 in 608 balls but they were beaten